Floor polisher



June l5 1926. 1,588,943

J. F. CLARK FLOOR` POLISHEH Filed July 17, 1922 x 5 i Patented June l5,1926.l

UNITED `STATES JOHN FREDERICK CLARK, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FLOOR POLISHER.

Application led July 17, 1922. Serial No. 575,494.

My invention is a floor polisher adapted primarily as an attachment forvacuum cleaners of the type havin a driven shaft extending toward anopening in the body thereof, and it consists in thecombinations,constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide an attachment of the characterdescribed which includes a frame adapted to hold a polishing agent infrictional contact with a surface traversed by a cleaner to which theattachment is applied.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment of thecharacter described which includes means for supporting a polishingagent holding frame for reciprocation in a horizontal plane While thepolishing agent is in contact with a surface traversed by a cleaner towhich the attachmentis applied and means for connecting the holdingframe to the driven shaft of the.

cleane-rwhereby the holding frame will be reciprocated when the shaft isrotated.

Other objectsand advantages ofthe yinvention will be apparent from-thefollowing description and the novel features of the invention will beparticularly outlined in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this application, in which Figure 1 is a view, mainly in sideeleyation and partly in vertical section, showing an attachmentembodying the invention operatively applied to a suction cleaner of a'well known type of construction, only such portion of the cleaner beingshown as is believed tobe necessary or desirable in disclosingtheassociation of the attachment therewith' Figure 2 is a transversevertical section through the attachment,and,

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the attachment, .substantiallyalong the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, I show more or less Adiagrammatically a body 1 of asuctioncleaner of ordinary construction, which body comprises a motorcasing 2 havin an operating handle 3 pivotally attache thereto and beingsupported at its one endpupon a steering wheel 4; The shaft 5 of a motor(not shown) which is disposed within the motor casing extends into a fancasing 6 whichis at tached to the motor 'casing and ordinarily carries afan (not shown) which rotates With the shaft within the fan casing andcauses a suction on an inlet opening 7 formed through the end of the fancasing remote from the motor casing. vA lip 8 is formed on the exteriorof the fan casing and is adapted to cooperate with theportion of thetends in centered relation in respect to the vention except in so far ashey cooperate with the parts which will` now be described.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a casing 10 comprising a pair ofparallel vertical sides 11'-`11 having straight lower edges andsubstantially arcuate upper edges and being joined along their upperedges by means' of a cross or top member y12. The sides 11-11 and thetop 12 may be formed of any suitablematerial, such as inet-al, and maybe formed or cast integrally with one another or separately and securedtogether in any suitable known manner. The casing- 10 is preferablyarched slightly intermediately' as indicated-at 13 in Fig. 2, the sides11-11 and the top 12 being suitably formed to rovide the arched portion13.

ne of the sides 11 is provided with a lateral annular extension `14concentric with an opening 15 therethrough and having at its outer end aflange 16, adapted to be received between-the lip 8 and the portion ofthe fan casing wall surrounding the opening 7 whereby the casing 10 willbe releasably attached tothe fan casin 6 and the opening 15 is axiallyalined wit the opening 7.

A crank shaft 16 has end portions jonrnalled in horizontally^alinedbearings 17-17 ioo on the inner Walls of the sidesi111 1, one Y edthrough the opening 15 and the annular extension 14 into the fan casing6 as indicated at 18. The extended end portion 18 of the crank shaft maybe enlarged adjacent to its extremity and is provided with an axial boreor socket 19 of non-circular cross sectional contour and being adaptedto receive and engage a non-circular end portlon of the shaft 5, wherebythe `latter and the crank shaft will rotate in unison.

A pitman 20 is mounted at one end upon the crank of the crank shaft andis pivotally secured at its other end between a pair of u standingspaced ears 21-21 which are carried by attaching members 22 which aresecured by screws 23 or like fastening devices to the upper horizontalmember 24 of a frame which is indicated generally at 25.

The frame 25 includes in addition to the plate-like upper horizontalmember. 24, which is of rectangular form, a lower horizontal member 26which conforms substantially in area and conformation to the member 24,and vertical bar-like members 27 connecting the corner portions of theupper and lower plate-like members 24 and 26 respectively.

The upper plate like frame member 24 is provided with lug extensions 28extending in the plane thereof laterally of the side edges thereof andbeing slidably received in horizontal ways 29 defined by verticallyspaced pairs of horizontal guide rods 30-30 carried at the lower edge ofthe sides of the casing 10, whereby the frame 25 will be suported forhorizontal movement in the open ower end of the casing 10 and the lowerlate-like member 26of the frame 25 will be positioned at a level lowerthan that of the lower edge of the walls of the casing 10.

A olishin agent, such as a sheet 31 of a suita le fabric or othermaterial, is extended along the under-face of the lower member 26 and isfolded at its ends over the ends of the lower member 26 upon the upperface of the latter as indicated at 32-32. The portions 32-32 will bereleasably clamped to the lower member 26 when clamping screws 33-33threaded through the upper member 24 are tightened to press clamp blocks34-34 tightly against the portions 32--32 of ,the polishing agent.

Openings 35-35 may be provided in the top of the casing 10 to permitaccess to the screws 33. The o enings 3535 are normally closed by sliing doors 36-36 adapted to be slid upwardly from closing posltion intopockets 37-37 in the top 12, as indicated by the dotted lines in F1gf2.

The casing 10 may also be provided with an opening 38 in one of thesides 11 permitting access to the connection of the pitman` 20 and theframe 25 and to a lubricating device (not shown) which may be posi-.tioned at such connection. A swmgmgly supported gravity door 39normally closes the opening 38. An opening 40 in the upper part of thetop 12 ermitting access to thc connection of the pitman 20 and the crankshaft and to lubricating devices (not shown) which may be provided atsuch connection isv normally closed by a sliding door 41. The respectivedoors may have handles or knobs thereon for convenience in manipulatingthe same.

From thev foregoing description of the various parts of the device theoperation thereof may be readily understood. The casing 10 is applied tothe body 1 of a vacuum cleaner after the suction nozzle of the latterhas been removed therefrom. The vacuum cleaner is then moved in theusual manner on the surface that is to be polished. The crank shaft willbe rotated when the motor of the cleaner is in operation, and as aresult the polishing agent disposed on the underside of the frame 25will be reciprocated in frictional contact with the surface and at rightangles to the direction of movement of the cleaner, whereby the surfacetraversed will be polished.

Obviously, the application of the attachment is not limited to thatillustrated in the drawings since it is only essential to my inventionthat the' attachment be applied to a structure having means forsupporting the attachment with the polishing agent in position tocontact the work to be polished and having means for driving the crankshaft of the attachment at a desirable speed. For exam le the crankshaft of the attachment may e attached to any drive shaft turning at asuflicientl low speed and the connection need not be e ected within thefan casing 6, as illustrated. Moreover, the attachment may vary indetails of construction from that illustrated in the accompanyingIdrawings and I therefore consider as'my own all such modifications andadaptations thereof as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of theinvention as outlinedin the appended claim.

I claim A floor polishing attachment for a vacuum cleaner comprising acasing attachable to the body of the cleaner, said casing being open at1ts lower end, a horizontally reciprocable frame supported in the loweren-d of casing, a polishing element covering the lower face of the framefor engagement with the surface on which the cleaner is su ported, acrank shaft extending transversely of the casing in the upper part ofthe latter and extending at one end into said body of said vacuumcleaner for connection with a source of power within the latter, and aitman connecting said crank shaft'and said rame, said pitman beinginclined in respect to the perpendicular at all times.

JOHN FREDERICK CLARK.

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